Friction clutch



Jan. s, 1924. y 1,480,239

M. P. CHAPLIN A vFRICTION CLUTCH Filed 001". l2. 1921 r 'Par l /fWew/ar: y

manica Jan. s, l1924.

` UNITEDl STATE-s 1,480,239 APATENT OFFICE.

MERLE C HAPLIN, OF W-HITE I PLAINS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO WESTERN 'ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, OF NEW YOBK, N. Y., A COBPOBAT'ION OF m YORK.

rnIcTIoN CLUTCH.

X Application filed October 12, 1921. Serial No. 507,836.

To all lwhom, it may concern.' a

Be it known that I, MERLE P. CHAPLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at White Plains, in the county of Westchester, State of New York, have invented certam new and useful Improvements in Friction Clutches, of which the following 1s a full, clear, concise, and .exact description.

This invention relates to frlction clutches.

An object of the. invention is t o provide a friction clutch having mam and auxiliary clutch members in lwhich the main driving and driven members are normally out of engagement, and are arranged to be brought into engagement and moved out of engagement by the auxiliary clutch members.

Another object of the invention is a friction clutch which is practically noiseless, and one which will readily adjust itself to changesin load conditions. u

Another object is a friction clutch which has a low starting torque and is posltlve 1n operation.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

A friction clutch made in accordance with this invention has the following advantages:

It is eflicient and durable. v v

It has the driving and driven members of the main clutch normally out of 'engagement, thereby minimizing the wear between such parts. v

The friction material through whlch power is communicated to the auxiliary` clutch may be readily and expeditiously replaced.

Referring to thedrawing: j

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross section of the friction clutch.

Fig. 2 is an end view of the structure shown in Fig. 1, looking from the left.

Fig. 3 is a detail of a part of the clutch.

The invention ingeneral consists of a main clutch A having a 'driving member continuously driven by power communicated thereto from a motor .of any well known type, and an auxiliary clutch B for controlling the. main clutch At The construction of the clutch is as follows: Extending longitudinally between a pair of uprights 5 and 6, which are secured to a base 7 by, means of screws or bolts 8 and 9, is a shaft 10. Formed on a portion of the shaft 10 are a number of helical threads designed to be engaged by similar forms a part of the auxiliary clutch B.

ANormally the member 11 is held against rotation due to the engagement of a roller 12 secured'at one end of a latch 13, with a cam stop 37`on the member 11. The latchv 13 may be released by an electromagnet 38, as shown in Fig. 2, or any well-known means.

Disposed on one side of themember 11 is a disc of friction material 14 circular in shape, such as wood, or any other wiell known kind of material having a low coeflicient of friction. A circular metal disc 154 having holes bored therein at a plurality of points for receiving one end of a number of coiled springs 16, which serve to hold the disc 15 in engagement with the friction material 14, is arranged on the other surface of the disc of friction material 14. The springs 16, there being in the preferred form of the invention four in number, 'are carried by the radially extending arms 3 integrally joined by a ring 4 and which is held in place as shown in Figs. land 2, by means of an adjustable nut 17 screwed to an irregular circular member 18, forming a part of the main clutch A. ln accordance with the showin of Figs. 1 and 3, the adjustable nut 17 as four depressions spaced at equal distances, and the metal of the ring 4 bent to form projections which coincide with these depressions 1and which are held therein by their frictional engagement with the walls of the depressions. When the nut 17 is turned, the .pressure on springs 16 is increased or decreased according to the direction .which the nut is turned and the nut may then be Ylocked by the engagement o`f thev projections of the ring 4 w1th thedepressions in thenut 17. Inother words, a jockey action is produced between the two elements and the adjustable nut locked in its set position. Thus, by means of the nut 17, the tension on the springs 16 may be adjusted tovary the pressure applied to the Vdisc of friction material 14, and consequently the frictional engagement between this disc and the member 11.

They member 18, in they referred form of the invention, is of very eavy material to form a constantly rotating fly wheel. For permitting the free rotation of the member 18, a ball bearing 19 is provided, which is positioned about a port-ion of the member los 11. The ball bearing 19 isheld againstlateral movement by a nut 20 adapted to be screwed to one end of the member 11. Se-

of friction material 23, which may be any friction material having a very h1gh coefforming a part of this member.

icient of friction, such as cork, to'be secur-ely fastened therein. This disc 22 also has an extension 39 which serves to retain a art of the ball race 19 in position.

e periphery of the member 18 has formed therein a series of teeth 24, which are adapted to be enga ed bythe teeth in a pinion 25, secured to t e shaft of a motor 26. lin this way power will be communicated to the member 18 from the motor 26.

Secured vto the upri ht member 6 by means ofthreads forme thereon and a nut 27, is a piece 28 with a projecting hubenraging an extension on this upright member 6, oneface of which is also recessed to receive a disc of "friction material 29. rlhis disc of friction material 29, like 23, is preferably of cork or any other well known type of friction material having a very high coecient of friction. interposed between the discs 23 and 29 is a circular metal disc 30 which is secured to the shaft 10 by means of a nut 31. ln order ato secure a close fit, prevent rotation and end movement between the shaft 10 and the circular disc 30, the

Vhub portion of the disc is taper. keyed to engage a like surface on the shaft 10. Thus, by means of the nut 31, the disc 30 can be securely held in place.v

@n account of the excessive force applied to the uprights 5 and 6 upon the stoppage of the member 11, vas will be hereinafter more clearly described, a thrust bearing 32 is interposed between a surface of the upright 5 and asurface of the member 11, to absorbthe thrust force and still produce a minimum amount of friction between these two members.

Uil may be supplied to the bearings by means of oil wicks 33 and 34, which extend from the bearings to oil cups 35 and 36, respectively.

rlihe operation of the clutchis as follows: Assuming that power is applied to the member 18 from themotor 26 through the pinion 25, this member together with the disc 14;, will be revolved. The member 11, however, will not be revolved owing to the engagement ofthe roller 12 with the cam stop 37 Likewise shaft 10 remains at rest owing to the nonengagement of the disc 23 with the metal disc 30. rlhe member 18 together with the disc 14, and the other parts forming a part of the driving member A, will continue to rotate in this manner until the latch 13 is insegne 11- will be vcaused to rotate due to the-en- 70 gagement of the friction material 1d with a surface thereof. immediately after the release of the member 11, owing to the helical. Y threads on the shaft 10 bein in engagement with similar threads formed in the member 75 11, the shaft 10 is caused to move la short distance longitudinally in the direction of the arrow. 'lhe clutch member A and rotating liy wheel mounted thereon will not move longitudinally owing to its much greater U0 f weight. rllhus, since the disc 30 issecurely fixed to the shaft 10, this disc likewise moves and engages the disc of friction material 23. Upon the engagement of the disc 30 with the disc 23, the shaft 10 will becau-sed to ro- U5 tate by power communicated thereto directly until the member 11 is stopped, due to the engagement of the roller 12 with the lip 37, which will be once for each revolu-v tion unless the latch 13 is withdrawn for a 9@ period longer than requiredl for the member, 11 to complete one cycle. However, in the preferred form of the invention, the mem er 11 will be stopped once in each revolution. Upon the engagement of the roller 955 12 with the cam stop 37 following the rotation of this member, the shaft 10 on account of its inertia continues to. rotate and vby reason of the threads thereon engaging that ofmember 11, now at rest, causes the shaft W0 to move longitudinally in a direction opposite to. the arrow, whereby the disc 30 disengages the rotating disc 23 and engages the stationary disc 29. lt is thus evident that the disc 29 serves as a bu'er to retard 105 the rotation of the disc 30 together with the shaft 10 and thereby causes the stoppage of the shaft. A

Although the invention has ,been illustrated in connection with a member which is intermittently set in rotation, it is, of course, obvious that the invention may be applied to many other types of clutches without departing from the spirit4 and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. lin combination, a driving member, a driven member normally tending to rotate, a shaft also to be driven, and a driving,v coupling on said shaft -rendered e'ective 120 upon the release of said driven member, whereby power is communicated to said shaft independent of said driven member.

2. ln combination, a driving member, a

member normally tending to rotate, a shaft l 3. In combination, a driving member, a member normally tending to rotate, a disc of friction material engaging a surface of said member normally tending to rotate and continuously rotated with said driving member, a plurality of springs, and adjusting means forming a part of said driving member to permit a variation in the spring tension applied to said friction disc, a shaft to be driven, and a metal disc secured to said shaft, and arranged upon the release driven member to cause the disengagement of'said driving coupling and the stopping of said shaft.

5. In combination, a driving member, a circular disc of. friction material secured to said driving member, a member normally tending to rotate, av shaft to be driven, a disc secured to said shaft, and arranged upon the release of said member which normally tends to rotate to engage said disc of friction material forl effecting a driving con nection between said driving member and said shaft. Y

6. -In combination, a driving member, a circular disc of friction material secured vrto said driving member,` a member normally tending to rotate, a shaft to be driven, a disc secured to said shaft, and arranged upon the release of said lmember which normally tends to rotate to engage said disc of friction material for effectin a positive drive connection between said riving member and said shaft, and means effective 'upon the stoppage of said .member to causethe disengagement of said disc with said disc of friction material.

7. In combination, a driving member, a circular disc of friction material secured -to said driving member, a member normally tending to rotate, a shaft to be driven, a disc secured to said shaft, and arran upon the release of said member which normally tends to rotate to engage said disc of friction material to provide a direct driving connection between said driving member and said'shaft, and a stationary disc of friction material 4arranged upon the stoppage of said member to .be-engaged by said disc for causing the retardation of the rotation of said shaft.

8. In comblnatlon, a continuously rotatlng member, a driven member, a driving connection between said rotating member and said driven member normally tending to rotate the same, consisting of a single piece of friction material of comparatively low coefficient of friction, a shaft also to be drive-n, and means rigidly secured to, said shaft, and rendered effective upon the re-` lease of said driven member for establishing an independent driving connection between said continuously rotating member and said shaft.

9. In combination, a continuously rotating member, a driven member, a driving connection between said continuously rotating member and said driven member normally tending to rotate. the same, consisting of a single piece of friction material of comparatively low coefficient of friction, spring pressed means for maintaining a connection between said driven member and said friction material, a shaft also to be driven and means rigidly secured to said shaft and rendered effective upon the release of said driven member for establishing .an independent driving connection between said continuously rotating member and said shaft.

10. In combi/nation, a driving member,l a. member lnormally tending to rotate, a shaft to be driven, a disc secured to said shaft, means for causing the release of said second recited' member, andl means effectivel following the release of said member for causing said disc .to vengage a surface of.

said driving member to form a direct drivingconnection between said driving member and Said shaft.

11. In combination, a continuously rotating member, a shaft to be driven having a series of helical-shaped threads formed on av portion thereof, a driven member normally tending to rotate with threads engagingl the ,threads on said shaft, a disc secured to said shaft, and means for releasing said driven member, whereby a screw motion 1s imparted to said shaft to cause said disc to move longitudinally and engage a Surface of said continuously rotating member for effecting d a driving .connection between said rotating member and said shaft. i

In witness whereof, I here-unto subscribe my name this 8th day of October, A. D.

M. P. CHAPLIN. 

